Essence of Time
by Jessima
Summary: John, Teyla, Ronon, and Rodney get a chance to go to Earth. When they step through the gate, they find that they have been sent 16 years into the future. Has Teyla and Ronon shipping!
1. Chapter 1

_Author Notes:_ I do not own Stargate Atlantis. I do not own any of the characters except for Taryne and Ron'ic in which I created.

I would like to thank LadyBozi for helping me with my story and helping me profread.

Enjoy my first fanfic and after you read please send me a review!

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Chapter 1 

To some time travel is impossible, or a mere myth that can never be proven. But 4 brave people experienced this miracle for themselves and it changed their lives forever. It changed the way they saw time, the future and destiny. They not only got to preview their future and what was in store for them, they witnessed it.

Lt. Colonel John Sheppard stood in front of the gate contemplating what he was going to do once he got home. So much had probably changed. There had been a rumor going around before he left that there was a new Xbox coming out and he wanted to know if it was so. He had tried to ask Coldwell but he said he didn't know. He thought that his mailbox would be buldging by the time he got home. Not just from friendly letters but from bills. He worried that when he got home that he could be in debt because he had not been there to pay his taxes and bills. But then he cooled off and remembered that the Air Force would probably help with that.

The team was given a chance to go to Earth for a couple weeks for a 'vacation' as a reward for their bravery and great accomplishments over the past year. Saving the world is a big thing, but saving a galaxy is even better. Although the enemy was still out there they deserved a chance to chill. Ronon walked in the gate room with his bag on his shoulder. He was excited about finally getting to see the planet of his comrades for the first time, although his facial expressions did not show that he was.

"So" Ronon said in a deep voice "what's it like?"

"Earth?" Sheppard replied "Well it's like any other planet. There are people, cities, mountains, trees and a McDonalds on every block"

"What is a McDonalds?" Ronon asked confused.

"It is a fast food chain. The food is bad for you but they are everywhere and people seem to like the food."

"Why would anyone eat food that compromises their health?" He had heard of such a thing on Seteda but he did not think it would be a big problem with John's people. Everyone on the base seemed to be small and skinny, like the toothpicks in the cafeteria.

"I don't know I guess it is a problem on my planet. People would rather eat food that tastes good rather than good food that is good for them."

"So what is your favorite menu item at this place?" He tried to change the subject because he knew where it was going to lead.

"Me? I like the Bigmac, which is what they call one of their special hamburgers."

"Hamburger?" Ronon's eyebrows rose. He heard people talk about it before but never truly knew what it was.

"I'll show you one when we get there." John's face looked very happy and excited. Ronon knew he was looking forward to going to Earth.

Teyla smiled as she walked in and said "When are we leaving?" Her eyes were filled with excitement and her smile was big. Ronon admired her smile because it made him happy. Things could be going totally wrong and she was upbeat and cheerful. It helped him through some of the missions that he thought they would never make it home.

"As soon as Rodney gets his butt in here. Where is he anyway?" Sheppard looked around the gate room and finally saw Rodney walking in the room. He noticed a plain look on Rodney's face, which he always had. It was either an emotionless look or an 'I'm annoyed' look.

"Sorry I'm late I just had to make sure everything was in tiptop shape before we leave. For the record I'm not ok with this, something might happen while we're gone, and I'm afraid Zelenka might blow up the city."

"Relax McKay it's only for a couple of weeks." Ronon said, obviously annoyed. He hated how Rodney constantly complained, but then he understood how he felt. Sometimes the people on Atlantis could be very annoying and Rodney did most of the technical work. He knew that this vacation would do Rodney well. He wondered what Rodney was like when he was kicked back and relaxed. More fun? He thought 'I'll find out when we get there.'

"Yes and if something goes wrong and they need me, it will take us I don't know, 2 weeks to get back!" Rodney hissed.

"No, Earth has a ZPM now they can send us back through the gate if there is an emergency." Sheppard informed Rodney. Rodney rolled his eyes and the gate started to dial. The man at the controls put in the IDC and motioned them that it was all clear to go through. They walked up to the gate, and went through.

As soon as they made it to the other side, Sheppard immediately knew there was something wrong. The room they were in did not look like the SGC. In fact it didn't even look like they were on Earth. There was a large window on the other side of the room, and outside was a city, a very large city, with flying vessels that resembled puddle jumpers. The room looked a lot like ancient design, but on the 2 doors on either side of the room had Earth number on them.

They heard a loud cry."Father!" a girl came running in and wrapped her arms around Ronon. "I thought you were dead!"

Ronon looked down at the girl and he did not recognize her. _Who is this girl?_ He thought. _And she is she touching me!_

She had shoulder length light brown hair and emerald green eyes. Her skin was a slight tan and she had 3 freckles on the side of her face. She stepped back and immediately sensed there was something wrong. "What is it?" she asked.

"Do I know you?" Ronon said, puzzled as to why this girl was calling him father and why she had hugged him.

She touched what seemed to be an earring and said "Taryne to the infirmary..."

* * *

After being checked by the doctors and after they confirmed who they were, Rodney and Ronon sat in the guest quarters waiting. John was talking to the leader of the facility and he had been gone for an hour. Ronon was getting impatient. To pass the time be tapped his fingers on the coffee table which was in front of his chair. At the same time Rodney munched on some olives that had been put in a bowl for them. It was good that they were in a bowl. Rodney recalled the time when he was a kid. His mother used to open the olive cans and use the olives in her cooking and he used to stick his little hands in the open can. He would grab too many and as he would try to pull his hand out and the edge of the can would cut his hand. You'd think little Rodney would have the brains to take one at a time, but he was just a kid. 

"Mmmmmm these are the best olives I have ever tasted!" Rodney exclaimed. He popped a few more in his mouth.

"I still don't know what is going on." Ronon grouched as he took an olive from the bowl. Rodney glared at him.

"I do." Sheppard said while walking in the room. He walked straight and firm. "We're in the future, about 16 years into the future."

"What? That is impossible" Rodney cried. He grabbed a few more olives and stuffed them in his mouth.

"Yes it is possible! SG-1 was sent back to 1969 through the gate a few years ago. This is probably the same thing… except we were sent in the future not the past." Sheppard informed. He had a smirk on his face.

"Yes but there has to be a cause for something like this." Rodney protested. He glared at John and thought 'Why does he always smile like that?'

"So that girl really was my daughter?" Ronon asked. His curious face lit up the room. He had hoped to stop the argument about whether it was possible to travel 16 years into the future with the gate. He hated it when Rodney argued. He always had to be right and it got on Ronon's nerves. Being right was like his self confirmation that he is smart and graduated at one of the top universities.

"Yup, and that's not all." John said with a half smile on his face.

"What?" Ronon leaned closer to John and his face got very anxious. He wanted to know what John was going to say but John hesitated to tell him what he had been told. A couple more seconds went by, and the room was silent. Ronon again leaned close to John, but this time he was not polite "Tell me now."

"Alright if you say so. He also said that Teyla is the girl's mother." John answered. His kooky half smile turned into a full grin.

Rodney choked on an olive. Ronon slapped him back and gasped, "What! Are you sure he said Teyla?" Ronon looked John straight in the eyes and waited for his response. Again John hesitated to respond. He was probably thinking out his words very carefully, in case Ronon was in a bad mood and was in the mood for 'friend clobbering'.

"I'm pretty sure that's what he said."

"So that would mean..." Ronon started to say.

"That would mean you and Teyla, in this time, are married." Rodney choked on another olive. John slapped Rodney's back, took the bowl of olives away and said "No more olives for you."

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_Q:_ This was my first fanfic. Did you like it? 


	2. Chapter 2

_Author Notes:_ I do not own SGA nor do I own any of the characters except for Taryne and Ron'ic in which I created.

Enjoy Chapter 2!

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Chapter 2

Taryne sat in a chair across from Teyla. "So your name is Taryne?"

"Yes" Taryne answered. Her eyes were full of wonder and confusion. The woman sitting across from her looked like her mother, but she wasn't, at least not yet. "You're from the past?"

"Apparently. I don't know more than you do." Teyla stared into her green eyes that seemed to pierce into hers. She noticed these eyes before... but where? She then realized that she had the very same eyes as Ronon. She looked at her and saw how much Taryne looked like her and Ronon. She was like a mix, a hybrid of her and Ronon.

At that moment Ronon walked into the room, standing in the door way observing their conversation. He watched the both of them closely and observed how much they looked alike. They were both beautiful, mother and daughter. He had discovered his feelings for Teyla a long time ago, but he just now realized how strong they were, and the turnout.

"How old are you?" Teyla could have guessed 15 or 16 but she could not be sure.

"I'm 15." Taryne saw Ronon in the doorway but did not respond to his presence because she was too preoccupied with her conversation with Teyla.

"So Taryne... where are you parents?" She questioned.

"My parents... are dead. About 5 or 6 years ago." She replied in a soft quiet voice. She did not really want to talk about her parent's death but she knew that Teyla would want to know, so she forced herself to tell even though bringing it up would cause pain.

"I'm not trying to get into anyone's business but... how did they die exactly?"

"Well, there was one Hive ship left. My parents and their team were on the ship trying to destroy it from the inside. They planted a bomb to destroy it, but then they got caught. Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay managed to elude the guards that captured my parents and they got away just minutes before the bomb detonated. My parents are strong and are capable of escaping the hands of the Wraith but the search team did not find anything but rubble from the ship. They even search the planets around where the ship was. They have been missing ever since. They immediately presumed them dead after they were done searching. It was hard on me… and my brother but we manage." She was relieved after the last word. She had not really talked about it since she was 13. She had trouble excepting her parents were gone and she did not know she would make it.

"You have a brother?" Ronon interrupted.

"Yes, he is 5, turning 6. He was just a new born when my parents died."

"Where is he?" Ronon asked, "Just wondering."

"He is in class." She responded.

"And you are not in some sort of a class?" Teyla wondered.

"I graduated a short time ago, but I still take fighting lessons from Master Teal'c occasionally."

"Who is this 'Master Teal'c'?" Ronon looked deep into Taryne's eyes. He was proud that his daughter was learning to fight and defend herself, but at the same time he thought it was foolish to teach a child the ways of war.

"He is a great friend of Earth. He was apart of a team called SG-1, but a couple years ago he retired, to help his people. He has been loyal to Earth for over 25 years. He would be here but he is apart of the Jaffa High Council. He comes every now and then to visit with his friends here and give my brother and me lessons, but for the most part he is not here." Taryne looked down at her watch. She made a face and said "I have to go. I need to pick up my brother from kindergarten."

* * *

The little boy walked in shyly and blushed. His big browns eyes blinked and he hid his face in his sister's blouse. His hair was a dark brown and his skin a light tan. His bashful smile was a sight to behold. Immediately Teyla and Ronon knew that the boy standing before them was their son. He looked just like Ronon, but with his mother's eyes.

"Say hi Ron'ic." Taryne whispered to her brother.

"Hi" he said quietly. His bashful smile captured the heart of Ronon and Teyla. Ronon couldn't help but smile ear to ear.

Ronon squatted down and said "Hello there." His smile was warm and his eyes sparkled.

Ron'ic hid his face again and giggled.

"He's really bashful. He is usually outgoing but, you are, or at least look like our parents and he has never met them. He remembers mother quite well, but not father."

Then the boy looked at Ronon and said "Are you my daddy?"

"Well, sort of." He replied.

"Well then I love you!" The boy exclaimed and he hugged Ronon.

The love of the boy made Ronon's happy and he felt warm inside. Ronon looked up at Teyla. She smiled back at him, and laughed to herself. Seeing Ronon with the boy in his arms made her feel… well she did not quite know how she felt, but it was good.

"Want to see how high I can jump?" The boy asked. His whole face seemed to be smiling and his heart was full of happiness.

"Sure lets see." Ronon laughed. Then Ron'ic took a deep breath put up his arms and jumped as high as he could. "Wow that's high!" Ronon said, trying to please the boy with a complement.

"Well it is time for us to go eat lunch. Would you like to join us?" Taryne asked the both of them. She hoped they would say yes because she wanted to spend more time with them. She would have held off on asking them and stayed a bit longer but she was very hungry and her stomach was making weird gurgling noises.

"No thanks, we are fine. We have some things to… talk about." Teyla said as she looked at Ronon. Ronon raised his eye brows.

After the kids left they both sat down. "They're cute aren't they?" Ronon laughed. His laughter seemed to fill the room and it made Teyla blush slightly.

"Yes, and I did not know you were that good with kids." She had never see Ronon so happy. She always thought of him as a serious man that did not like children. Her feelings at that moment were overwhelming. She knew she had a crush on him but she never thought they would actually get together in the future and have children.

"I baby sat my nephew on Seteda so I have some experience with children." He replied.

"So do you think this is real?" She asked in low voice, obviously not wanting to be heard by the people outside the room.

"What do you mean?" He whispered back.

"A couple years back we tried to go to Earth. We thought we were there but we were being tricked by an intelligent alien substance that made us believe we were really there."

"Well this is a little different."

"You're right." She relaxed and looked into his eyes.

"Well I'm hoping this is real." Ronon said with a smile.

"Why is that?" Teyla answered. She saw Ronon's grin and immediately knew why. She blushed. He saw her blush and his smile got bigger. Then out of nowhere he reached over and kissed her passionately. Although she was surprised she did not pull back. The kiss was sweet and tender amd it felt so good she did not want to pull back... ever.

* * *

Meanwhile John and Rodney looked at the gate as an incoming traveler dialed the gate from the other side. A voice rang through the speakers "On schedule off world activation!" Two men walked through the gate. One had brown hair, with a little grey, the other black, and he too had grey roots. Someone from the control room came in to greet them.

"Colonel Sheppard this is General Sheppard. Dr. McKay... this is Dr. McKay."

"We kind of guessed that." The older McKay said.

"Well then you know our problem?" The control room man said.

"We were briefed about the situation sergeant. You know what to do McKay?" the General asked.

"Yes but it is going to take some time." McKay answered.

"Alright I'll give you all the time you need. You and... Rodney can work together. Oh and it is nice to meet you… me… uh." The General said. He did not know quite what to say. The man standing before him was him, but in another way he was not.

"Nice to meet you… me too." John laughed and held out his hand to shake the General's hand.

"No!" Rodney cried. "If you touch each other there will be dire consequences. The theory is, is that if the same person touches himself from a different time it will cause a paradox and the universe will destroy its self!" They all looked at him like he was crazy. Rodney was smart but sometimes he took the theories he read about too seriously.

McKay reached over and flicked Rodney's ear. "Well if that's the case then it sure takes a long time for that to happen." He could not help but chuckle a little.

Rodney looked over to him and said "But the theory of time travel clearly states that..." He started to say, but the older McKay interrupted him.

"And theories are meant to either be proven right or wrong, in this case wrong." McKay answered with a smile on his face. He was not much different from the younger Rodney. He still liked to be right and always had something to say to justify his reasons for thinking that way.

"Yes but there has to be consequences for two of the same person being in the same reality. It's the same way with alternate universes." Rodney protested.

"Well then we don't have a lot of time, do we?" McKay replied, right again.

* * *

"I'm going to go and see what John and Rodney are doing." Teyla said as she got up to leave. But as she walked to the door, she stopped and bent over. Ronon knew there was something wrong. Teyla hunched over in pain and groaned. Her groan turned into a scream of pain. 

"What is it!" He cried. He did not know what was happening. He quickly ran over to her as fast as he could. But as he ran pain went though his body and he fell to the ground. They both lay unconscious on the floor, side by side.

Taryne walked in with her mouth full, to check on her new friends. But when she saw them on the floor she shrieked in horror. She turned on her radio and called for a medical team. Then she ran to the gate room.

McKay and Rodney were about to go to the lab when she ran in screaming.

"What is it kiddo?" General Sheppard questioned.

"It's my parents, I mean Teyla and Ronon they just collapsed I don't know why. I sent a medical team but…" She stopped and just froze. Tears streamed down her face and she looked at the floor.

McKay looked at Rodney "I guess you were right about the 'consequences'."

Rodney looked at McKay "But this would only happen if there were two of the same person in the same reality. I thought the Teyla and Ronon of your time were dead." He looked around with anticipation "So… wouldn't this mean that they are still alive?"

Taryne looked up at them. "They're alive?"

"There is a possibility, yes." Rodney said.

"Well let's get down to the infirmary and see how they're doing!" John exclaimed.

They all ran to the infirmary, Taryne leading. When they got there Teyla and Ronon were sitting up in medical beds. "We are fine" Teyla said as they entered the room.

"Well you didn't seem fine when I found you on the floor!" Taryne cried. She wanted to say how worried she was and how she thought they were dead but the words did not come out.

John looked at Rodney and said "Why don't you and yourself get over to the lab and figure out how to send us back, I don't want anyone dying you hear?"

"I know how to get you back, it's just it will take some time." McKay informed them all.

"How?" Rodney asked.

"We just have to rig the gate. I can't explain it here. Now I suggest we hurry because we don't have a lot of time." McKay snipped.

"A lot of time before what?" Ronon looked over at them in confusion.

"Death" Rodney said as he walked to the door.

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_Q:_ How did you like this chapter?  



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